The San Francisco store is closing for good on the 9th with spots like LA, New York, West Hollywood and Santa Monica already gone. Reports of huge employee turnover on twitter as well.

This is really too bad as it was a nice way to re-introduce film photography to many in a whimsical way, utter simplicity. The people at our SF store are very nice and helpful, the company set a good tone.

Evidently the popularity of this trend of "hipster" adoption of film might have been overblown.

Here's a view on why the LA store shut down. With the SF closure there are no more gallery stores on the west coast.

hipster jump on and off - if something is today hip and trend - tomorrow it will be dull, boring and out of fashion.
If a company tries to deal with this people they must be aware that they might run away as fast as they have come.

I liked the lomoway, but never ever dealed with them - so it wouldn´t be a big lost for me.

Maybe they are pushing their online sales? Jakarta store is still running I believe, but many find the price unattractive. Easier to buy from the site and even with taxes and DHL freight some find it to be the better deal. Also I've been introducing Yashica GSN, Nikon FE/FM series to them and they are actually thrilled to have some metal and glass for less money than a Sprocket Rocket.

We see this then and now, growth, saturation and demise. So this happens also with sushi and coffee shops, when they grow bigger and fatter than mere rice and coffee beans can feed. Sometimes it's wise to keep weight under control to not break under own weight.

That's a shame, I hope it's more to do with the the collapse of retail in general, rather than film camera/film sales in particular.

In the UK at least, many retailers are going to the wall, I don't think it's what they are selling, it's the way they are selling it. It's just too easy to order on Amazon rather than hump it to the high street and battle the crowds.

I think the last paragraph about using "food truck" style delivery and lab services is a brilliant idea.

Why hasn't someone done this already? You sell cameras and film from the truck, do labs and classes in nearby parks with the truck there to supply needs for the classes. Announce the locations so people can expect it, but also do surprise locations with special sales to motivate people to find the truck.

You could do lab stuff too but that would be a bit more complicated. Maybe if you had the ability to at least pickup/drop off stuff there that was either going to be processed at the LomoLab (sent off by the truck people) or processed locally somewhere and then you could pick up your prints/film later. Offer the same LomoLab services with photo uploads to your account as well. Perhaps.

I'd like to see more then just their brand of rebranded expensive film though if they are selling film. Would be nice for them to have some normal stuff that is priced accordingly. I mean, I can get this stuff online for way cheaper, but the whole point of this truck idea is to get people to find the truck, hang out, talk, take photos, and buy stuff. You get people buying at a reasonable price they will come back.

I personally own quite a few of their cameras. Mostly overpriced but some of them are brilliant in their uniqueness or they offer something special in some way.

My favorites are:

Spinner 360 - never saw anything like that before I got mine. I always get comments when I use it out in public and people love to see the photos that come from it.

Belair X 6-12 - an affordable folder with 3 shot sizes and very easy to use. A little over priced but worth it if you want to do medium format and have lots of sizes to pick from.

I think the Sardina is a good all around "intro to Lomo" camera as is the Holga. But both do have an unforgiving learning curve if you aren't used to film. I cant tell you how many rolls of expensive 120 I wasted before I started getting shots I cared for from the Holga.

So, imagine this truck. You see it, it has some screens displaying slide shows of cool photos as well as some of the cameras and film they offer. Go up, ask questions, see something that you like, they show you how it works, maybe let you snap a few shots with it (you buy the film they offer use of the camera to try it). Offer bundles where you get a camera and some film right there and they help you learn how to use it right there on the spot so you literally leave with exposed photos already in camera.

Impulse purchase energy relies heavily on demos, hands on and "ohh and ahh" factors. I think a cool looking truck that was mobile and could get around could do some good for Lomo and film itself.

As much as I'm not an advocate of "lifestyle branding" marketing (Lomo, Leica, Ducati, Harley Davidson), I think Lomo had the best legitimate shot at rebooting film sales somewhat, and as annoying as hipsters may be, anything that gets more film sold regularly is a good thing in my book, and an absence that will be missed.

They have been closing a lot of stores mostly because they put stores in the wrong areas. Lomography cameras are a niche product, but they put stores in areas with sky high rents, and often the "wrong kind" of public.
For instance here in Austin they had a store on congress right by the capitol building - a very high rent area, but unfortunately not the area with the sort of people that would buy their cameras. Had they set up shop on south congress where all the "hip" tourists spend their time in trendy antique shops, clothing stores, etc. they would have gotten a lot more traffic.

It was likely part of trying to market a fancy image, but it came back and bit them on the butt.

I always thought that Lomo was a good way to have people rediscover film photography but then you move and pass to something else. If you are attracted by the look of a camera with no film pressure plate you buy any camera you like and remove them, if you are attracted by experimentation of old processes you move to LF or pinhole. If you just like film photography you buy "normal" cameras at a fraction of the price. Fuji makes much better classic PS film cameras which are often cheaper than Lomos... Maybe now it is time for them to move further to something different than overpriced plastic cameras with bad lenses and no pressure plates...

I always thought that Lomo was a good way to have people rediscover film photography but then you move and pass to something else. If you are attracted by the look of a camera with no film pressure plate you buy any camera you like and remove them, if you are attracted by experimentation of old processes you move to LF or pinhole. If you just like film photography you buy "normal" cameras at a fraction of the price. Fuji makes much better classic PS film cameras which are often cheaper than Lomos... Maybe now it is time for them to move further to something different than overpriced plastic cameras with bad lenses and no pressure plates...

GLF

Maybe they will move on to cameras without film doors, or cameras with silly film rewind knobs.

The article said that their online side is doing well and is where most folks are going to get their products.

To me this still backs up the "food truck" idea. Roving location, cool idea. No one really does stuff in these trucks that isn't food or drinks except in places like Mexico where anything you can setup shop in has stuff for sale.

I don't think they are going out of business, I think they are doing very well most likely. Just as was said above, they picked the wrong locations for their shops. I'd like to see them put more effort into having a presence in local film/camera shops personally.

So you can buy some Lomography gear and film, talk to experts of film and photography, and buy more then just their stuff.

Not that I go to the local film/camera place... I get everything online anymore. So I may be the the kind of customer that has caused these shops to close.

In the UK at least, the high street does not offer a pleasant experience, in central London it's *extremely* busy, I often needed to take the back road, or walk on the road itself, dodging cars and cyclists. Only to get to a shop and find they don't have stock, or they try to sell you on accessories or extended warranties.

The retail industry needs to change urgently, or the online stores are going to completely take over.

We are in the middle of a major transition, a similar one to when supermarkets took over, and all the little bakers and grocers went under.

I know the management of the SF Lomography store, and we sell Lomography cameras in our shop, so I've had a pretty up close view of what's going on with the brand.

First off, the Lomography gallery stores are not franchises. They are funded, built and closely managed by Lomography. There are also small stores like ours that carry Lomography products as merchandise, but to my knowledge there are no real franchises.

I don't know how Lomo is doing as a company, but I think as far as the stores are concerned, they are taking action on a bad business decision, which was to expand in the retail market and compete not only with their other retailers (like us), but also with their own online store. They make much more profit selling a camera online than through one of their stores, so why have stores? I believe Lomography thought the stores would expand their overall market (like the Apple stores did for Apple), but it turned out not to be the case.

As a Lomography user and retailer, I have mixed feelings about the brand and their products. I fully credit Lomography with stoking excitement in film photography and introducing it to a new generation of photographers. Lomography, if nothing else, is genius at marketing and I'm REALLY glad that what they are marketing is film photography. I also agree with alienmeatsack above that their products are interesting and innovative. And they brought back 110! How cool is that?

In our shop, however, we and our customers have struggled with the quality of Lomography products (and their sister brand The Impossible Project), especially given the price. While I love the Diana Mini, we rarely recommend it anymore because they usually break within a few weeks. This is also true of the Sardina, and everyone I know with an LCA has had it break. From what we can see, the quality problem has definitely dimmed interest in Lomography cameras.

I think their business of marketing cameras as style products (like shoes) has been surprisingly successful, but they are starting to find the limits, and are perhaps losing some sales as their customers get frustrated with some products and move on to other entertainments. Closing the gallery stores is a wise business decision that will hopefully ensure that the brand continues to thrive for a long time.

I know the management of the SF Lomography store, and we sell Lomography cameras in our shop, so I've had a pretty up close view of what's going on with the brand.

First off, the Lomography gallery stores are not franchises. They are funded, built and closely managed by Lomography. There are also small stores like ours that carry Lomography products as merchandise, but to my knowledge there are no real franchises.

I don't know how Lomo is doing as a company, but I think as far as the stores are concerned, they are taking action on a bad business decision, which was to expand in the retail market and compete not only with their other retailers (like us), but also with their own online store. They make much more profit selling a camera online than through one of their stores, so why have stores? I believe Lomography thought the stores would expand their overall market (like the Apple stores did for Apple), but it turned out not to be the case.

As a Lomography user and retailer, I have mixed feelings about the brand and their products. I fully credit Lomography with stoking excitement in film photography and introducing it to a new generation of photographers. Lomography, if nothing else, is genius at marketing and I'm REALLY glad that what they are marketing is film photography. I also agree with alienmeatsack above that their products are interesting and innovative. And they brought back 110! How cool is that?

In our shop, however, we and our customers have struggled with the quality of Lomography products (and their sister brand The Impossible Project), especially given the price. While I love the Diana Mini, we rarely recommend it anymore because they usually break within a few weeks. This is also true of the Sardina, and everyone I know with an LCA has had it break. From what we can see, the quality problem has definitely dimmed interest in Lomography cameras.

I think their business of marketing cameras as style products (like shoes) has been surprisingly successful, but they are starting to find the limits, and are perhaps losing some sales as their customers get frustrated with some products and move on to other entertainments. Closing the gallery stores is a wise business decision that will hopefully ensure that the brand continues to thrive for a long time.

I know the management of the SF Lomography store, and we sell Lomography cameras in our shop, so I've had a pretty up close view of what's going on with the brand.

First off, the Lomography gallery stores are not franchises. They are funded, built and closely managed by Lomography. There are also small stores like ours that carry Lomography products as merchandise, but to my knowledge there are no real franchises.

I don't know how Lomo is doing as a company, but I think as far as the stores are concerned, they are taking action on a bad business decision, which was to expand in the retail market and compete not only with their other retailers (like us), but also with their own online store. They make much more profit selling a camera online than through one of their stores, so why have stores? I believe Lomography thought the stores would expand their overall market (like the Apple stores did for Apple), but it turned out not to be the case.

As a Lomography user and retailer, I have mixed feelings about the brand and their products. I fully credit Lomography with stoking excitement in film photography and introducing it to a new generation of photographers. Lomography, if nothing else, is genius at marketing and I'm REALLY glad that what they are marketing is film photography. I also agree with alienmeatsack above that their products are interesting and innovative. And they brought back 110! How cool is that?

In our shop, however, we and our customers have struggled with the quality of Lomography products (and their sister brand The Impossible Project), especially given the price. While I love the Diana Mini, we rarely recommend it anymore because they usually break within a few weeks. This is also true of the Sardina, and everyone I know with an LCA has had it break. From what we can see, the quality problem has definitely dimmed interest in Lomography cameras.

I think their business of marketing cameras as style products (like shoes) has been surprisingly successful, but they are starting to find the limits, and are perhaps losing some sales as their customers get frustrated with some products and move on to other entertainments. Closing the gallery stores is a wise business decision that will hopefully ensure that the brand continues to thrive for a long time.

I don't know for a fact that Lomography has any ownership stake in Impossible, but my friends at Lomography and Impossible have told me that is the case. Regardless, both companies have an identical approach to the analog photography market, in that they emphasize marketing and style and de-emphasize quality.

In our shop, however, we and our customers have struggled with the quality of Lomography products (and their sister brand The Impossible Project), especially given the price. While I love the Diana Mini, we rarely recommend it anymore because they usually break within a few weeks. This is also true of the Sardina, and everyone I know with an LCA has had it break. From what we can see, the quality problem has definitely dimmed interest in Lomography cameras.

Back when I was using Dianas and Holgas in the early 90s, the lightleaks, cracks, and overall ****ty quality was part of the appeal, but they were also dirt cheap. You'd routinely see them with a lot of black tape to cover light leaks. I guess once Lomography started raising the prices by 300-500%, people expected more from them.

I see a lot of their products available in the college and hipster areas of this city. Of course the cameras are twice the price – and a roll of B&W film is FOUR TIMES the retail price down the road at the pro photography store. No wonder the crowd that survives off of PBR and ramen noodles is moving away from film and $99+ junk cameras.

They sold film and cameras but absolutely no way to process and scan or print your photos. The entire business model of Lomography was built on the expectation that minilabs would continue to exist as local, accessible, and, most importantly, affordable places for people to get their film into usable formats. Until that problem is rectified, likely by creation, purchase, or association with a large mail order processor, I cannot see Lomo surviving.

They sold film and cameras but absolutely no way to process and scan or print your photos. The entire business model of Lomography was built on the expectation that minilabs would continue to exist as local, accessible, and, most importantly, affordable places for people to get their film into usable formats. Until that problem is rectified, likely by creation, purchase, or association with a large mail order processor, I cannot see Lomo surviving.

The lomography stores in NYC developed and scanned film. I think the stores were part of its plan to do exactly what you are saying.

They sold film and cameras but absolutely no way to process and scan or print your photos. The entire business model of Lomography was built on the expectation that minilabs would continue to exist as local, accessible, and, most importantly, affordable places for people to get their film into usable formats. Until that problem is rectified, likely by creation, purchase, or association with a large mail order processor, I cannot see Lomo surviving.

I've actually found lomography has good deals on film... but mostly just because local stores don't carry the "real" stuff. For instance I can buy Fomapan 100 in the Lomography three pack from the local store for less than the price of two rolls of Fuji or Kodak B/W. I'm sure if the store just carried Foma products it would be a bit cheaper still, but I can't complain really.

They also sell a three pack of 36 EXP. Kodak 100 ASA for the same price as four pack of 24EXP Fuji 200 ASA at Walmart. So that's another good deal.

Then of course they have 110 film which you're not going to find anywhere else.

Well, I just purchased my first film camera since 2005- a Lomo Oktomat. I am starting a new project June 21 which will be shot mostly with digital, but also with some film, hence the Lomo. I will also be using some instant print film for this project- I will be shooting a Polaroid SX-70.

It feels weird shooting film again. I just loaded the Oktomat with some Kokak 400 Gold and I am off to do a bit of street shooting with it.

Hipstamatic and Instagram did them in. It was coold and fun and new for awhile, but like all things, the digitization of it made it obsolete. Which is funny because that was the point of the whole thing was that it was analog. But now that all those "effects" of using Holga's and Zenit's have become mainstream, it's no longer interesting.

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